Corgi Aviation Archive Series Diecast Model

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress – 42-31322 'Mi Amigo', 364th BS, 305th BG, USAAF, RAF Chelveston, England, February 22, 1944

1:72 Scale.  Length: 12.4”.  Wingspan: 17.25”


Limited Edition of 1,500 Models Worldwide

At the beginning of a year which would mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings a tragic wartime event which occurred at a public park in Sheffield on February 22, 1944, would receive significant national media coverage and commemorate the sacrifice of the men of the US Eighth Air Force. The crew of B-17 Flying Fortress 'Mi Amigo' had just taken part in a bombing against the Luftwaffe airfield at Alborg in Northern Denmark and having come under sustained attack by flak and Luftwaffe fighters, fell out of formation and made for home. With several crew members injured and radio/navigation equipment not working, the aircraft struggled to find a relief landing airfield in low cloud and found itself over the city of Sheffield at low altitude and with damaged engines – they needed to put the aircraft down and quickly.

The B-17 was heard to circle the area of Endcliffe Park for some time before a change in engine tone immediately resulted in the aircraft plummeting to the ground, crashing into a wooded bank at the far end of the park and the tragic loss of all on board. Nobody on the ground was injured in the incident. What is certain is that the B-17 crew of averted what could have been a catastrophe for the city of Sheffield and paid the ultimate price as a result. As one of over 12,700 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers built during WWII, B-17G 42-31322 would leave the production lines at Boeing in Seattle, WA in October 1943 and embark on a tour of several locations across the U.S, where various additional items of internal equipment could be fitted, prior to its journey to Britain and the European Theatre of Operations.

Travelling the hazardous Northern Route, including stops in Newfoundland, Greenland, Iceland and Scotland, the aircraft eventually arrived with the 305th Bombardment Group at Chelveston on January 30, 1944. Once the bomber was assigned a crew, they gave it the name 'Mi Amigo', meaning My Friend in Spanish, suggested by the bombardier Lt. Melcher Hernandez, who had Spanish heritage and hoped the name would endow their aircraft with good luck – it met with the approval of the entire ten man crew. The crew had been assembled from right across America and following completion of their individual training programs came together at Geiger Field, WA for intensive training as a group, in preparation for posting overseas and war. 'Mi Amigo' would take its place in a concerted Allied bombing campaign intended to diminish Germany's ability to wage war and specifically to prepare the way for the forthcoming Allied invasion of occupied Europe – D-Day.


Corgi is a leading manufacturer of high quality, pre-built, die-cast model airplanes. Every model is crafted with meticulous attention to details, using specifications of the original aircraft. Corgi models are constructed with precision-made diecast metal and some plastic components.

This model of a B-17 Flying Fortress features: